Wed 29.Apr.2026
Auckland & Wellington NZ
Croatia, Paris, Austria, Malta
Western Park in Auckland.
AFIK this isn't really The Shire [not even in the Peter Jackson movie :) ],
but it can look a bit like it.
Rosie's Cantina -
if you listened to Marty Robbins in the 1950's,
the name comes close to ringing a bell, even on the Auckland waterfront.
"There's nothing for a drummer to do in that song -
and it goes on forever!"
- attributed to Bill Kreutzman
Wellington, NZ
With only five days here, I didn't try to rush and do everything.
I mostly hung out within a few minutes walk of the harbor.
That range includes the heart of the tourist district, and the multi-ethnic
Te Aro neighborhood, where I found cheap food and a near-budget hotel.
Bertha!!
Wiggling water in Wellington harbor.
The harborside is strewn with cafes, parks, and much more that I'll show soon.
Time Warp!
A handful of fun old images from Europe has emerged from
seemingly nowhere.
I want to post them before they get forgotten in the fog of events.
Paris
Cafe chiaroscuro - could be almost anywhere in town.
Later: This photo jogs my memory now ... I think it was actually in Rouen, not Paris.
On Monet's Cathedral square. (Almost generic French!)
A classic rainy day in Paris. Probably in the 14th Arr - my usual base
neighborhood.
Austria
(No kangaroos here!)
Vienna, near the Prater.
An all-too-typical spooky mist in the Styrian Alps.
The Mediterranean
Lovran, Croatia's tiny gem,
looking over the Kvarner Gulf, Rijeka,
and the southern reaches of the Alps.
Valletta, Malta.
Best-equipped; If they say so!
Next: back to New Zealand and Wellington - promise!